If Xzibit got a hold of my nightstand

I said I want to dock with my dock
so I can conga dock while I dock.  Clear?

My bedside table is a nightmare.  There is so much shit stuffed into three square feet and it's killing me ever so slightly.  It's all my necessities, the things needed for the high rollin' life I lead.

Glasses and phones, drink and then food;

Playstation and Xbones, and a Switch on a stool;

A drawer that's a bin, and a nosey canine to boot;

These are the things that some would call loot.

You're welcome for my bout of poetry.  The point though is that it's a heap of shit that takes up a bunch of real estate, and that's before you account for USB cords leading up and over everything.

The plan was to resolve this.  To find a way to get all the staple items arranged in a way that I may finally have my nightstand back, somewhere to throw my plates when I have finished dinner and am waiting for the episode of Richard Osman's House of Games to finish.

There's a lot of reasons to want a stand for my glasses and phone.  My glasses can be kept up and out of the way, avoiding spills and potential flattening or snapping.  The Solution?  Easter Island Noses.  Not only a good high place for your looking goggles, but also a snazzy way to look cool while you aren't wearing them.

My phone is longer term matter.

Having a direct USB connection bothers me.  Dozens of items in the past have been ruined from seating a charging device awkwardly and bending the connections.  Luckily we live in the future and through the SCIENTS of MAGIC you can get a Wireless Charging Device.  You place your phone down and centered on it's platform and Voila, your phone starts recharging.  Truly it's the gift that keeps on giving, since my phone hasn't met the floor for any other reason except my clumsiness.

Then there's my Game Stuff.

It's a comfy life being a gamer.  You seat up in bed or on your couch and reach over to the controller, hold down a button, hear a little chime, and sometimes your TV will turn on by itself because you have it set so.  Then play away to your hearts content.

Through all that you caress the controller.  Depressing buttons, stroking the triggers, fondling the sticks, caressing the device's form in the palms of your hands.

They live by your bidding.  Playstation has a built in battery, while Xbox needs AA Batteries due to a very long contract.  You get that rechargable battery though, because if nothing else you can charge it by cord.

The NYKO Solo Charging Blocks
AKA: The Conga Docks

Charging Docks are the future though.  With a little dongle, or a clever design, these devices can be placed on their own pedestals to await their next adventure, fully energised for you to pick up and play.

While these pedestals are a great investment, therein lies part of the problem.  Two competitive consoles, two worlds typically not welcome together.  While I personally went with two separate docks in the end there is a lot of regret in not picking up the NYKO Charging Blocks, also known by my own phrasing as the Conga Dock.  A wonderful union of design and consideration.

If only there was one for the Switch Lite.

This gadget is my favourite piece of kit.  With one reach and a button press, I can be playing Xcom 2 while the UFO series plays in the background.  Or Into The Breach while Voltron kicks ass.  Or Axiom Verge while listening to what makes Metroid so good.  Or Golf Story while... well I don't have a Golf Companion, but you get the point.

It's not without some age old problems found with the PSP back in the day [Link].  Pinky fingers are not a strong enough support to hold such a light device, and craning ones neck down farther so it may rest on ones abdomen only makes things worse.

The comfort grip was automatically the way to go.  I've used controllers for years and the ergonomics of them all is all so easy to fall into.  Having a grip on my Switch that tucks into the palms of my hands is incredibly satisfying after having all those pinky cramps creeping up towards the elbow.

The stand was a different matter.  At the moment the Switch rests on a tablet display stand, keeping it up and rested with a cheap charging dock that changes the angle needed for the charging cable, lifting it up and over and out of the way.  Personally, having something that plugs in and out is a wear and tear demanding losing the device sooner than later.

Thats the appeal in the controller docks.  They both have an electronic touch pad that, when rested on, charge the device without the worry of ruining their USB point.  The PS4 controller has a dongle they provide that hooks into the USB to provide that point, while the Xbox Controllers get a third party rechargable battery with a windowed casing solving two birds with one flung battery.

It's a feature I noticed on my PSP that was never utilised, and frankly should have been.  Given the knowledge and skill with electronics and a 3d Printer, a matching comfort grip and charging dock would be magnificent even as a simple display piece.  Same goes with my GBA SP, another device left to rot with a game of Pokemon Gold in it, the poor bugger.